Solid back for books.



N0. 823,168. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

A. G. HAFELY.

SOLID BACK FOR BOOKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1901.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

'PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

A. G. HAFELY.

SOLID BACK FOR BOOKSY APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1901,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORN 5 A. c. HAPELY.

SOLID BACK FOR BOOKS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1901.

PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

3 SHBETSSHEET 3.

INVENTOR I BY @WT ATTO EY5 ANDREW. is. 65mm co. vnovo-umocmmzns. wAsHmcrcM. n.

the thread after the book is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLID BACK FOR BOOKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed November 8, 1901. Serial No. 81,564.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED O. HAFELY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Solid Backs for Books, of which the following is a specification.

. The object of my invention is to provide a book having great strength, so as to withstand the wear and tear of constant usage common with large books.

-My invention consists in making a solid back of wood, metal, or other material and forming parallel grooves along the front of the solid back and crossing grooves on the opposite side of the solid back. The signatures or sections of the book are then fastened in the grooves on the front side of the solid back. The cross-grooves have a sufficient depth to meet the parallel grooves located on the opposite side of the book-back. The meeting of the grooves located on the opposite sides of'the back forms holes for fastening the signatures to the book-back. Holes may also be formed in the book-back by an ordinary awl 'or other means. The covers are also secured to the solid back and a very durable book is thus formed.

' Other features and advantages of my invention will appear from the specification and the drawings, in which the same letters of reference designate similar parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 illustrates an end view of the book. Fig. 2 represents one form of the solid back. Fig. 3 illustrates a detail used in connection with the solid back shown in Fig. 2 for strengthening the same. Fig. 4. illustrates a modified form of the solid back. Fig. 5 illustrates the method of sewing the form of my book shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 show the position of sewed. Figs. 11 and 12 show another modification of m device. Fig. 11 shows the parts of the solid back separated in order to illustrate the position of the thread in the sewed book. Fig. 12 shows the parts secured together.

The book A (illustrated in Fig. 1) has two covers a a, which are made of leather, canvas, cloth, or other material. These covers are glued or otherwise fastened to a back a which is made of some flexible material. The back a is fastened by glue or other means to the solid back B. The form of the solid back may be varied. It may be either solid back B are formed grooves b running longitudinally thereof. They may be made by fastening strips to a back piece by gluing them thereto, or they may be formed by sawcuts running the length of the back or by molding, according to the material of which the solid back is composed. In these grooves are secured the signatures e 6 6 which make up the book O. The grooves are of such a shape as to securely hold the edges of the signatures and at the same time to allow of the greatest possible flexibility in the leaves of the book. The grooves may be square at the bottom with narrow ridges between them or they may be semicylindrical in shape. The signatures may be secured in the grooves by any of the well-known means of sewing a book, as by wiring them in or fastening them in by driving staples through the back of the signature into the solid back.

For the sewing of the signatures of the book holes may be formed in the solid backing to receive the wire, if it is wire-sewed or thread if it is sewed with thread. These holes may be made by an awl or a bit or by any well-known means, according to the material of which the solid back is composed. The thread or wire may then be passed through the signatures and through the holes of the solid back and then tightly drawn and the ends fastened which secures the signatures in the grooves. To economically make the holes in the back constitutes one of the features of my invention. This is accomplished by forming grooves b b 5 across the back of the solid back and of such depth that they will meet the grooves running longitudinally along the front of the solid back, thereby forming the holes at points Where the crossing grooves intersect.

In order to strengthen the solid back and prevent longitudinal splitting if it is formed of Wood, and also to prevent any possible breaking or bending at the cross-grooves, a small piece I) of wood, (shown in Fig. 3,) which is stamped or otherwise formed into the shape of the cross-groove in the back of a solid back, is inserted in the groove and securely fastened therein with glue. The grain of the wood of the piece runs along its length,

and when the piece is placed in the groove the grain is at right angles to the grain of the wood of the solid back, and thereby splitting or breaking of the back is entirely avoided. The cross-pieces also secure the threads used in sewing the signatures, since it will press against them when it is forced into place in the groove, and thus hold each of the signatures.

One of the methods by which the signatures may be fastened into the grooves is illustrated in Fig.5. The ends of a cord 0 is passed through the holes b b of the first groove and into the signature 6 by the strands c d, and then to the center of the signature of the signature e by the strands 0 d then though the hole b of the first groove by the strands 0 d The first signature 6 is then tightly drawn into the first groove. ends of the cord are then passed through the hole b located at the center of the second groove, and into the center of the second signature e by the strands 6 (1 then to the ends of the second signature 6 by the strands 0 d then through the holes b b of the second groove by the strands c d, and the second signature is then tightly drawn into place. The cord is then passed into the holes I) b of the third groove and into the back of the third signature 6 by the strands c d, to the center of the third signature by the strands 0 (Z and through the hole I) by the strands 0 d, and so on until all the signatures havebeen fastened in the book. single cord are then securely fastened by any well-known means, such as tying the ends thereof or by turning the ends into the crossgrooves and securing them by forcing the glued strip against them when it is inserted in the cross-grooves of the solid back. Practlcally the same sewing may be accomplished by passing a cord through a hole in one end of a longitudinal groove and through the signature in that groove, then to the center of the signature and through the signature and the center hole of the same groove. The first signature is then tightly drawn into place.

The cord is then passed into the center hole of the next groove through the nextsignature, along that signature to the end hole of the same groove, and the second signature is then drawn into place. The cord is then passed into the end hole of the third groove and to the center of the book, and so on until all the signatures have been fastened in the book. The same may then be done at the other end of the book, whereby the other end of each of the signatures is also fastened to the solid back. The ends are then fastened as before.

The steps stated above may be further varied by fastening the center of the cord by any well-known means in the center crossgroove at the back or by looping it over the outside ridge of the first groove in the manner The The strands of theshown in Fig. 10. The cord may be passed through the center hole. of the first groove and into the center of the first signature, and then through the back of the first signature at each end and into the holes of the first groove, and then into the end holes of the second groove, and so on.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, O is an oblong piece having on its front a number of grooves 1) between the ridges 1). Transverse grooves 0, 0 0 and 0 are cut in the back and to such a depth that they will just reach the longitudinal grooves b on the front of'the oblong piece.- Holes will thus be formed through the oblong piece, as described above. The signatures e, e

and e are placed one by one into the longitudinal grooves b and sewed'to the'piece O. This is done by passing a threaded needle throu h the hole 0 and into the first signa ture 6, then back through the hole '0,- for- Ward again through the hole 0 into the signature, then back through the signature and the hole, and the first signature is then tightly drawn into place.

andthe threaded needle is passed through the hole 0 into that signature, then back through the signature and the hole 0 then, forward through the-hole 0 and so on up, and down the grooves until all the sigatures are sewed. The oblong piece O is made solid and secure against any possible breakingorbending at the transverse grooves by fitting I the grooves the cross-pieces Since the grain of the pieces and gluing into P r Pt 2 p, 29 1J3, and p is parallel-with their axes, they will prevent the splittingofthe oblong piece 0. To further secure the solid back thus formed, there is glued or otherwise se-- a planocured to its back the piece Q, having convex cross-section. This gives a=finished exterior to the solid back and securesall its parts together. 1), 12 and p inthe back grooves and the piece Q to the back ofth'e threads which hold the signatures the signatures are independthat if a signature should be torn out and its supporting-thread brokenthe remaining signatures will still be securely. held by their threads to the solid back Other ently secured, so

variations may be made in the parts of my book without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention.

What

ner surface with a series of longitudinal grooves and on its outer surface witha series of cross-grooves.

2. A rigid book-backprovided on one side'- with a series of longitudinal groovesand on The second signature 6 is then placed in the next=longitudinal groove By fastening the cross-pieces I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A rigid book-back provided on its lIl-- 3. The combination of a rigid book-back having a series of longitudinal grooves and aseries of cross-grooves and signatures fastened in said longitudinal grooves by a strand passing through the said crossgrooves.

4. The combination With a rigid bookback having a series of longitudinal grooves on its inner surface and cross-grooves on its outer surface of sufficient depth to meet the grooves of the inner surface, a strand for fastening the signatures into the said grooves and strips inserted into the said cross-grooves for strengthening the back.

5. The combination of a pair of book covers, a solid back fastened thereto and having a series of longitudinal grooves on the inner surface thereof and on the outer surface cross-grooves, and having a series of holes in said grooves, signatures fastened in the grooves by threads passing through the said holes, and strips in said cross-grooves for securing the said threads.

6. In a book the combination of a solid back having longitudinal grooves and a series of holes in each of said grooves, signatures fastened in said grooves by a continuous cord passing through one of the holes and through a signature in each of said grooves, and back through the signature and another of said holes in the groove and through a hole and signature in the next groove.

7. In a book the combination of a solid back having longitudinal grooves and a series of holes in each of said grooves, signatures fastened in said grooves by a continuous .cord passing through one of the holes and signature in each of said grooves and back through the signature and another of said holes in the groove and through a hole and the signature and back through the signature and a hole and then through a hole and signature in the next groove whereby both ends of the signature are secured.

8. In a book the combination of a solid back having a number of longitudinal grooves on one side and cross-grooves on the opposite side, and a strip fastened to the back of the said solid back for increasing its strength.

9. In a book the combination of a solid back having a number of longitudinal grooves on one side and cross-grooves on the opposite side and a strip fastened to the back of the said solid back and extending throughout its length for increasing its strength.

10. In a book the combination of a solid back having a number of longitudinal grooves on one side and cross-grooves on the opposite side, and cross-pieces inserted in said grooves and a strip fastened to the back of the said solid back for increasing its strength.

11. In a book the combination of a solid back having a number of longitudinal grooves on one side and cross-grooves on the opposite side and of sufficient depth to meet the longitudinal grooves, and signatures located in the longitudinal grooves and held by stitches passing through the cross-grooves, crosspieces located in said cross grooves and a strip fastened on the back of the solid back for increasing its strength.

12. In a book the combination of a pair of covers, a solid back having a series of parallel grooves, and holes in said grooves and signatures held in said grooves by stitches passing through said holes and a strip fastened to the back of the solid back for securing the said stitches.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

ALFRED O. HAFELY.

Witnesses:

FAUST F. CRAMPTON} EDWIN SEGER. 

